Last Tuesday one of my friends and I were planning on going to see the
Portland Cello Project at a theater in SE Portland. We were both pretty excited, and caught
the pio in time to get downtown, eat at some food carts, then take public transportation over to SE. We waited in line for about ten minutes, when a guy who worked for the theater came out and started talking about the rules-- no flash photography, no video recording, cell phones on silent, and... this was a 21+ show unless you had a legal parent or guardian with you. Neither my friend or I are 21, so all we could do was step out of line and laugh at ourselves as we watched all of the 6 year old kids enter with their parents. It was kind of ridiculous, since it was a cello concert, but we should have known better- it said the restriction right on the front of the ticket.
 |
| So close! Yet so far! |
A lot of venues in Portland close to minors after a certain time, so it can be a bit of a challenge to find things to do when you're underage and want to go downtown at night. Luckily, I've found myself in that place many times, so I have a list of fun things to do downtown if you're under 21 (or over 21 and still want to have an awesome time).
- TartBerry! This is my buds' and my favorite froyo place. It's really sunny and happy inside, the frozen yogurt is good, and it's really close to the pio stop.
 |
| one of many excellent times at TartBerry |
- Glow in the dark minigolf! This is also pretty close to the bus stop, and is a lot of fun. I'm a sucker for minigolf, and the blacklights are a plus.
 |
| wee freshman me at the glow-in-the-dark minigolf place, in overalls! |
- Concerts! Even though a lot of venues are only open for people 21+, there are places that have all ages shows. If you do your research, you can find these places.
 |
| First Aid Kit! This was last year, at the Roseland Theater |
 |
| Kimya Dawson and Paul Baribeau! This was last fall at the Backspace, which is no longer doing shows. |
- Food! Most food carts close at night, but some stay open. Besides those, Portland is known for its food scene. There are a ton of restaurants, with a wide variety of options.
 |
| I've eaten at a lot of restaurants, but don't usually take pictures at them. But here's my current roommate drinking tea at a restaurant last year, during the day. You get the idea, though. |
- Movies! My favorite movie place (Livingroom Theaters) is closed to minors after 7pm, but there are a lot of other movie theaters that are open. There are a couple right downtown!
 |
| ...I am ashamed. But look, you can see movies! |
- Wander around downtown! The city is really nice at night, and the water is pretty.
 |
| thoughtfully looking over the Willamette at night. |
- On campus events! The school goes out of its way to provide a lot of on campus events for students. Movies, concerts, performances, dances, the list goes on. There's always something to do here!
As you can see, there's plenty to do! Fear not!
If you have any questions, please email me at rekidder@lclark.edu. I'm happy to answer them!
-Rebecca
